Switch beGlobal Monitor Switching Profiles (including Login Screen) for PowerToystween screens #46130
Description
Description of the new feature / enhancement
Add a PowerToys feature that allows users to bind keyboard shortcuts directly to display switching actions. Each shortcut would switch the system to use one specific monitor as the only active display and apply predefined display settings.
Each shortcut could define:
- Target monitor (set as the only active display)
- Resolution
- Refresh rate
- Optionally (but also much desired) - Windows Night Light (On/Off and intensity %)
When the shortcut is pressed, PowerToys would:
- Disable other displays
- Activate the selected monitor
- Apply predefined settings (resolution, refresh rate, windows night light)
Example configuration:
| Shortcut | Active Monitor | Resolution | Refresh Rate | Night Light |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ctrl + Alt + 1 | Desk monitor | 5120×1440 | 120 Hz | ON 50% |
| Ctrl + Alt + 2 | Living room TV | 3840×2160 | 120 Hz | ON 20% |
| Ctrl + Alt + 3 | Bedroom monitor | 2560×1440 | 60 Hz | OFF |
Important requirement:
The shortcuts should work even on the Windows login screen, allowing the user to switch the active monitor before logging in. This is important in setups where monitors are located in different rooms or where the currently active monitor is not visible.
Scenario when this would be used?
This feature would be particularly useful when a single PC is connected to monitors located in different rooms.
Example scenarios:
- A workstation connected to a desk monitor, living room TV, and bedroom monitor. Each workspace has usb hub with mouse and keyboard connected to same PC
- Switching between desk work and couch usage
- Using the same PC from multiple rooms
- Quickly selecting the correct monitor for gaming, coding, or watching media
- Avoiding situations where the login screen appears on a monitor that is currently not visible
In these setups, users typically want only one monitor active at a time depending on where they are physically located.
Currently this requires navigating Windows display settings manually or interacting with whichever monitor happens to be active.
Supporting information
Windows currently lacks an easy way to:
- Switch the system to a single active display
- Do it via keyboard shortcuts
- Ensure the change works before logging into Windows
PowerToys already focuses on tools that improve productivity and system control for power users. A feature allowing keyboard shortcuts to directly switch active displays would fit naturally within that goal.
Technically this appears feasible using Windows display APIs such as SetDisplayConfig to activate a specific display and apply the desired resolution and refresh rate.
Optionally, the shortcut could also update the Windows Night Light setting and trigger a display refresh so that color temperature changes together with the monitor switch. As far as I know this cannot be directly controlled via a public WinAPI, but the relevant Night Light state can be found in the registry and then a display refresh can be triggered via WinAPI so the change is applied.
This would significantly improve usability for advanced multi-monitor setups, especially when one computer is used from multiple physical locations.